Enjoy your time in Graz, because it has so much to offer
Are you culturally interested, more a culinary expert or a sporty outdoor person? In the surrounding of Graz everybody finds activities that please their interests and most of them can easily be reached with public transport.
Have a look at the use-it travel map of Graz to get a first overview which are places worth a visit and how you behave like a local. For a more sustainable approach download the "Sustainable Welcome Guide", which you can find at the bottom of the page. If you are more the "ordinary" tourist, discover the website of the City of Graz. On the latter website, you also find all important sites that you should have visited during your stay here, like Schlossberg, Kunsthaus, Landhaus,...
Cultural Centers and Museums
In Graz you can find theatres for every humor and age, some taking place in glamorous halls while others are presented on small stages. Even opera fans and museum lovers will be satisfied with the offers in Graz
Sports
For sporty students and outdoor lovers Graz is a great place to study, just within a 30-minute bike ride you can reach the suburbs and some closeby hiking trails. Below you find a list for some first trips and to inspire you for the time of your stay.
Relaxing
Cafés and Restaurants
You prefer to spend you free time in a nice café, enjoying a good cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate with a friend or just by yourself. A great selection of special and nice places to go in Graz, which partly offer regional, vegan or products from start-ups can be found in the section Sustainable in Graz.
Cultural Centers and Museums
In Graz you can find theatres for every humor and age, some taking place in glamorous halls while others are presented on small stages. Even opera fans and museum lovers will be satisfied with the offers in Graz
- Opera of Graz - the place to go for operas, ballet performances, operetta and once in a while a musical. They also offer special student tickets.
- Schauspielhaus Graz - a good mix of classics and modern theatre. Student tickets for 5€, if they still have any left 30 minutes before the performance starts.
- Orpheum Graz - theatre, concerts, impro theatre on Mondays (also in English, but not weekly), comedians. They have two additional locations, in Schlossberg and on Schlossberg ;)
- Theater im Keller - small performances
- Theater am Ortweinplatz - TaO! - small performances
- An overview of all museums located in Graz can be found here! Do not forget to have a coffee at Kunsthaus Kaffee - it's a bit expensive, but worth it!
Sports
For sporty students and outdoor lovers Graz is a great place to study, just within a 30-minute bike ride you can reach the suburbs and some closeby hiking trails. Below you find a list for some first trips and to inspire you for the time of your stay.
- You want to meet new people through university sports? Apply for an USI Kurs at the university sports center. They offer semester classes of the most traditional sports to massage, self defense and other sport related activities. Also skiing weeks or multi day courses are offered.
- Biking along the Mur (more information in the Getting Around section). You do not need to be super sporty for it, just enjoy the wind in your hair!
- Do you like climbing? For indoors look for CAC Graz. You prefer bouldering? Check out Boulderclub, Bloc House or Newton Graz. For outdoor climbing these two spots are very well known: Climbing in Andritz/Weinzödl (reachable by bike) or Rote Wand for multipitch routes (a car is great to get there).
- Hike up to Schöckl and have some traditional food at one of the local restaurants, play disc-golf, run an orienteering course or simply enjoy the view. If you are a bit lazy or not used to walking long distances uphill you can also take the gondola. There are busses leaving from Jakominiplatz.
- During wintertime you can go skiing to one of the Austrian skiing areas. In 2,5 hours you are in Schladming by train - just hop on the train in Graz and directly to the slopes in Schladming. You can also rent skiing equipment at several places in Graz (eg. Gigasport, Bergfuchs,...).
- Go running and explore the endless tracks around paths on 'Platte', 'Leechwald' and 'Mariatrost'. If you are looking for a running buddy or/and a local to show you the nicest tracks contact runninGraz.
- Make use of the public sports fields to play soccer, beach volleyball or streetball and meet some new friends there.
- Fancy a swim? Either visit one of the public swimming pools. 'Bad zur Sonne' is a nice place for indoor sport swimming (25m pool) in the city center. They even have a spa area for relaxing. The prices and location you can find here. If you want to have a broader offer and a 50m pool. Go to 'Auster' in Eggenberg. They have an indoor and outdoor pool, a large spa area with several saunas and hut tubs. In summers they have water slides, beach volleyball courts and a diving tower. Another possibiltiy to swim in summer is to bike to 'Schwarzlsee', a lake in the South of Graz or go to Kumberg. In Kumberg they even have a campsite right next to the lake and you can also rent cabins.
Relaxing
- Enjoy a nice early summer day at 'Stadtpark' or 'Augarten' with your friends. Bring a blanket or towel, some materials to study or just a book to enjoy, some friends, snacks and beers. But you can also bring spikeball, a volley- or soccerball or a frisbee to have some sporty breaks in between.
- Meet with your friends for the sunset at Schlossberg at one of the calm summer evenings and enjoy a beer or a glass of wine.
Cafés and Restaurants
You prefer to spend you free time in a nice café, enjoying a good cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate with a friend or just by yourself. A great selection of special and nice places to go in Graz, which partly offer regional, vegan or products from start-ups can be found in the section Sustainable in Graz.
sustainable-welcome-guide-graz.pdf | |
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Left: cherry blossoms on the way down from Schlossberg. Right: Afternoon sun at Schlossbeg ((C) Raffaela Miglbauer)
(C) coverphoto: Johanna Trummer
(C) coverphoto: Johanna Trummer